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Convert Thousand Board Feet to Cunits

Thousand Board Feet (MBF) to Cunit (cunit) lumber volume conversion — enter any value below to get an instant result, or use the table for common values.

Results from this calculator are estimates provided for general informational purposes only, based on formulas, rates, and standards commonly accepted as of 2026. Figures may differ slightly from other calculators or professional sources due to rounding methods, differing assumptions, or regional regulations, and rules may change over time. Always consult a qualified professional — such as a financial advisor, healthcare provider, or other relevant specialist — before making decisions based on these results.

The numeric value you want to convert. Decimals are accepted.

Result

1 MBF = 0.83333333 cunit

1 Thousand Board Feet = 0.83333333 Cunits

1 Cunit = 1.2 Thousand Board Feet

1 MBF in every supported unit

Conversion chart: Thousand Board Feet to Cunits

Conversion table

Thousand Board Feet (MBF) Cunit (cunit)
0.01 MBF 0.0083333333 cunit
0.1 MBF 0.083333333 cunit
1 MBF 0.83333333 cunit
2 MBF 1.6666667 cunit
3 MBF 2.5 cunit
5 MBF 4.1666667 cunit
10 MBF 8.3333333 cunit
20 MBF 16.666667 cunit
50 MBF 41.666667 cunit
100 MBF 83.333333 cunit
1000 MBF 833.33333 cunit

Thousand Board Feet (MBF)

Definition: A bulk lumber unit equal to exactly 1,000 board feet, sized for wholesale and industrial timber quantities too large to conveniently express in individual board feet.

History: Adopted by the sawmill and timber industry as a natural bulk-scale extension of the board foot once shipments and mill outputs routinely reached thousands of board feet.

Current use: The standard unit for quoting sawmill production volumes, timber sale contracts, and wholesale lumber shipments in North America.

Cunit (cunit)

Definition: A pulp and timber industry wholesale unit equal to 100 cubic feet of solid wood volume, avoiding the board foot's built-in assumption of a specific sawn-plank shape.

History: Developed by the pulp and paper industry as a shape-neutral way to measure raw logs and wood chips, which don't naturally divide into board-foot-shaped planks the way sawn lumber does.

Current use: Used in the pulpwood and wood-chip trade for measuring and pricing raw, unsawn timber volume.

Supported Units

Unit Symbol In m³
Cubic Meter m³ 1 m³
Cubic Foot ft³ 0.028316847 m³
Cubic Inch in³ 1.63871E-05 m³
Board Foot bf 0.0023597372 m³
Thousand Board Feet MBF 2.3597372 m³
Cord cord 3.6245564 m³
Cord (80 ft³) cord (80 ft³) 2.2653477 m³
Cord Foot cord ft 0.45306955 m³
Cunit cunit 2.8316847 m³
Pallet pallet 0.040115533 m³
Cross Tie tie 0.094389489 m³
Switch Tie tie (switch) 0.14866344 m³
Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) TSF (1/8") 0.29496715 m³
Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) TSF (1/4") 0.5899343 m³
Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) TSF (3/8") 0.88490146 m³
Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) TSF (1/2") 1.1798686 m³
Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) TSF (3/4") 1.7698029 m³

About These Parameters

Value
The amount of lumber or timber volume you want to convert, expressed in the "From" unit — a lumberyard's board-foot quantity, a firewood seller's cord count, or a sawmill's cubic-meter output.
From Unit
The unit your value is currently measured in — a hardware-store board-foot price, a firewood cord, a pulp mill's cunit, or a railroad's cross-tie count.
To Unit
The unit you want the result converted into. Use the swap button to flip From and To instantly, handy when translating between a retail unit like the board foot and a wholesale unit like the thousand board feet.

How Lumber Volume Conversion Works

The Formula

Every unit here is defined by a fixed multiplier relative to the cubic meter. To convert a value from one unit to another:

result = value × (factor of "From" unit ÷ factor of "To" unit)

For Thousand Board Feet → Cunit: multiply by 0.83333333. For example, 1 MBF × 0.83333333 = 0.83333333 cunit.

The Board Foot and the Cord: America's Retail Lumber Units

The board foot became the North American lumber trade's standard as sawmills industrialized in the 19th century, giving buyers and sellers a consistent way to price sawn boards of varying width and length on the same volume basis. The cord predates it by centuries, going back to the colonial-era firewood trade — a stack 4 feet high, 4 feet wide, and 8 feet long (128 cubic feet including the air gaps between logs), literally measured out and bound with a cord of rope before sale, which is where the name comes from. Both units remain the everyday retail measures of the US and Canadian lumber and firewood trade today.

Wholesale and Industry-Specific Units

Once volumes move beyond individual retail purchases, the trade shifts to bulk and industry-specific units: the thousand board feet (MBF) scales the board foot up for sawmill production and wholesale shipment quotes, while the cunit (100 cubic feet of solid wood) gives the pulp and timber industry a shape-neutral wholesale unit for raw logs and wood chips that don't naturally divide into board-foot-shaped planks. Railroads use their own units entirely — the cross tie and the larger switch tie — to convert raw timber volume directly into the number of finished ties a given quantity will yield. Sheet-goods manufacturers, meanwhile, price plywood and OSB by the thousand square feet at a specific panel thickness, since surface area at a known thickness is how that segment of the industry has always measured volume.

Example

1 MBF equals 0.83333333 cunit. For scale, a single 2×4 stud 8 feet long is a little over 5 board feet, a full cord of firewood is 128 cubic feet stacked (about 80 cubic feet of solid wood once air gaps are excluded), and a standard cunit represents 100 cubic feet of solid timber — roughly the volume of several full-grown log sections.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Cunits are in 1 Thousand Board Feet?

1 Thousand Board Feet (MBF) equals exactly 0.83333333 Cunits (cunit).

What is a board foot exactly?

A board foot is the volume of a plank 1 foot long, 1 foot wide, and 1 inch thick — 144 cubic inches. It's the standard unit US lumberyards use to price sawn boards and dimensional lumber, regardless of the actual length or width the board is cut to, since the volume (and therefore the board-foot count) is what determines the price.

Why is a cord 128 cubic feet but the "solid" cord only about 80?

A full stacked cord occupies 128 cubic feet (4 × 4 × 8 feet), but that figure includes the air gaps that naturally form between irregularly-shaped, rounded logs. Foresters estimate that only about 80 cubic feet of that stack is actually solid wood — the "cord (80 ft³)" unit on this page represents that estimated solid-wood content rather than the total space the stack occupies.

What's the difference between a cross tie and a switch tie?

Both are railroad timber-volume units representing one finished tie's worth of wood, but a switch tie is sized for the longer ties used at track switches and junctions, so it represents noticeably more volume than a standard cross tie used along straight track.

Why does the TSF (thousand square feet) unit change depending on panel thickness?

TSF measures a fixed surface area (1,000 square feet) of sheet material like plywood or OSB, but the actual volume of wood in that area obviously depends on how thick the panel is — a 3/4-inch panel contains six times as much wood as a 1/8-inch panel covering the same 1,000 square feet, which is why this page lists a separate TSF unit for each common panel thickness.

Convert Thousand Board Feet to Other Lumber Volume Units

Thousand Board Feet to Cubic Meters Thousand Board Feet to Cubic Feet Thousand Board Feet to Cubic Inches Thousand Board Feet to Board Feet Thousand Board Feet to Cords Thousand Board Feet to Cords (80 ft³) Thousand Board Feet to Cord Feet Thousand Board Feet to Cunits Thousand Board Feet to Pallets Thousand Board Feet to Cross Ties Thousand Board Feet to Switch Ties Thousand Board Feet to Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) Thousand Board Feet to Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) Thousand Board Feet to Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) Thousand Board Feet to Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) Thousand Board Feet to Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels)

Possible Lumber Volume Conversions

Cord Foot to Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) Cunit to Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) Cubic Inch to Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) Cubic Foot to Pallets Pallet to Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) to Thousand Board Feet Thousand Board Feet to Cord Feet Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) to Cubic Feet Cord (80 ft³) to Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) to Pallets Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) Cunit to Switch Ties Cord Foot to Board Feet Thousand Board Feet to Cords Pallet to Switch Ties Thousand Board Feet to Cords (80 ft³) Cubic Foot to Cords (80 ft³) Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) to Cord Feet Cross Tie to Cords (80 ft³) Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) to Board Feet Cubic Meter to Cord Feet Cubic Foot to Cunits Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) to Thousand Board Feet Cord (80 ft³) to Pallets Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) to Cord Feet Thousand Board Feet to Board Feet Cord Foot to Cords Cubic Inch to Board Feet Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) Cord Foot to Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) to Cubic Feet Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) to Cubic Inches Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) to Cross Ties Cord to Cubic Feet Pallet to Thousand Board Feet Cubic Foot to Cross Ties Pallet to Cunits Pallet to Board Feet Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) to Board Feet Cubic Meter to Cubic Feet Cunit to Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) Pallet to Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) to Pallets Cubic Foot to Switch Ties Cunit to Thousand Board Feet Thousand Board Feet to Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) to Switch Ties Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) Pallet to Cord Feet Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) to Switch Ties Cubic Meter to Thousand Board Feet Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) to Cords (80 ft³) Cubic Foot to Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) to Cunits Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) to Cross Ties Cunit to Cross Ties Cord (80 ft³) to Cubic Feet Switch Tie to Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) Cubic Inch to Thousand Board Feet Cubic Inch to Cubic Feet Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) to Cords (80 ft³) Cross Tie to Cubic Inches Thousand Board Feet to Cubic Inches Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) to Cord Feet Cord (80 ft³) to Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) to Cubic Meters Cubic Meter to Pallets Cord (80 ft³) to Cross Ties Cross Tie to Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) Cord Foot to Cunits Cross Tie to Board Feet Cross Tie to Thousand Board Feet Board Foot to Cubic Feet Board Foot to Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) to Switch Ties Cubic Inch to Pallets Cubic Foot to Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) Thousand Board Feet to Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) Cord Foot to Cubic Inches Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) to Pallets Cubic Inch to Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) Cubic Meter to Board Feet Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) to Cross Ties Pallet to Cross Ties Switch Tie to Cord Feet Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) to Cord Feet Cord Foot to Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) Cubic Inch to Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) Thousand Board Feet to Cubic Meters Cunit to Cubic Feet Cord to Cubic Inches Switch Tie to Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) to Cunits Pallet to Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) Board Foot to Cross Ties Switch Tie to Thousand Board Feet Cord Foot to Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) to Thousand Board Feet Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) to Cords (80 ft³) Cunit to Cubic Inches Cunit to Cord Feet Cross Tie to Switch Ties Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) to Cubic Feet Cunit to Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) Cubic Meter to Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) Cord to Cords (80 ft³) Switch Tie to Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) Cord (80 ft³) to Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) Cross Tie to Cubic Feet Board Foot to Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) to Cords Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) to Cross Ties Cord (80 ft³) to Switch Ties Cross Tie to Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) Switch Tie to Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) Thousand Board Feet to Pallets Cord to Cross Ties Board Foot to Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) Cubic Inch to Cubic Meters Cross Tie to Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) Cord to Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) Switch Tie to Cunits Cord Foot to Cords (80 ft³) Cord to Board Feet Cross Tie to Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) Switch Tie to Cords (80 ft³) Cord Foot to Switch Ties Cord (80 ft³) to Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) Cord to Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) Cord (80 ft³) to Cord Feet Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) to Board Feet Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) to Cross Ties Cord to Switch Ties Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) to Cords Cubic Foot to Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) Cross Tie to Cubic Meters Cord to Pallets Cubic Inch to Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) Cubic Meter to Cubic Inches Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) to Cord Feet Board Foot to Cord Feet Switch Tie to Cords Board Foot to Cords (80 ft³) Cubic Inch to Switch Ties Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) to Cunits Pallet to Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) to Board Feet Cunit to Board Feet Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) to Cords (80 ft³) Cord to Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) Board Foot to Switch Ties Cubic Foot to Thousand Board Feet Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) to Cubic Meters Switch Tie to Board Feet Cross Tie to Cord Feet Cubic Inch to Cord Feet Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) to Cubic Feet Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) Cord Foot to Thousand Board Feet Cubic Meter to Cords Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) to Cubic Meters Board Foot to Cubic Inches Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) to Cubic Feet Board Foot to Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) Thousand Board Feet to Cunits Board Foot to Thousand Board Feet Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) to Switch Ties Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) Cubic Inch to Cross Ties Pallet to Cords Cross Tie to Pallets Cord Foot to Pallets Cubic Meter to Cords (80 ft³) Board Foot to Cords Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) to Pallets Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) Cubic Meter to Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) Cunit to Cubic Meters Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) to Thousand Board Feet Cubic Meter to Switch Ties Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) Cord Foot to Cubic Meters Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) to Cubic Inches Cubic Foot to Cord Feet Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) Cord (80 ft³) to Cords Cubic Inch to Cords Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) Cross Tie to Cords Board Foot to Pallets Cunit to Pallets Board Foot to Cunits Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) to Thousand Board Feet Thousand Board Feet to Cross Ties Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) to Cunits Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) Cunit to Cords Cross Tie to Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) Cubic Foot to Cords Cord to Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) Cord Foot to Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) Switch Tie to Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) Cubic Foot to Board Feet Pallet to Cubic Inches Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) Cord (80 ft³) to Board Feet Pallet to Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) to Board Feet Cunit to Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) Cubic Meter to Cunits Thousand Board Feet to Cubic Feet Cord to Cord Feet Board Foot to Cubic Meters Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) to Cubic Meters Switch Tie to Cubic Meters Pallet to Cords (80 ft³) Switch Tie to Pallets Thousand Board Feet to Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) Cubic Foot to Cubic Inches Cord (80 ft³) to Cunits Cubic Inch to Cunits Cross Tie to Cunits Cunit to Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) Thousand Board Feet to Switch Ties Cubic Inch to Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) to Cubic Inches Cubic Inch to Cords (80 ft³) Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) to Cunits Thousand Board Feet to Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) to Cords Pallet to Cubic Meters Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) to Cords Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) to Cords (80 ft³) Cubic Foot to Cubic Meters Cord to Thousand Board Feet Thousand Board Feet to Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) Cord (80 ft³) to Thousand Board Feet Cubic Foot to Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) Switch Tie to Cubic Feet Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) to Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) Cord (80 ft³) to Cubic Meters Cubic Foot to Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) Board Foot to Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) Cunit to Cords (80 ft³) Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) to Pallets Cord to Cunits Switch Tie to Cubic Inches Cubic Meter to Cross Ties Cord (80 ft³) to Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) Cord (80 ft³) to Cubic Inches Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) to Cubic Meters Cubic Meter to Thousand Sq Ft (3/8" panels) Cord to Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) to Cubic Inches Thousand Sq Ft (1/2" panels) to Cords Cord Foot to Cross Ties Cubic Meter to Thousand Sq Ft (3/4" panels) Switch Tie to Cross Ties Thousand Sq Ft (1/8" panels) to Cubic Inches Cord to Cubic Meters Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels) to Switch Ties Pallet to Cubic Feet Cord Foot to Cubic Feet Cubic Meter to Thousand Sq Ft (1/4" panels)

See also